The Rossoneri Vice-President was speaking at a Press conference organised by one of the club sponsors.

“I’d like to remind people that if we are in the Champions League, then part of the credit goes to El Shaarawy,” said Galliani.

“He is only 20 years old and flew up the ranking, so growing up that quickly is difficult. Our judgment on him is absolutely positive, he has a five-year contract and we believe in him.

“He showed how much he cares about the club colours, because over the summer he could’ve moved to a team that was prepared to triple his wages.”

It is widely believed that offer came from the Premier League, either from Chelsea or Manchester City, but El Shaarawy opted to remain with Milan.

This week CSKA Moscow star Honda surprised many by declaring Milan were “only an option” among many for when he becomes a free agent in January, as Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton are also interested.

“I will not say anything about Honda, nor about the transfer market until January 3, so don’t ask me about any player who isn’t at Milan.”

Kaka was a deadline day signing at San Siro and is expected to start on Saturday against Torino.

“Ricky is happy and whether he starts or not is down to the Coach. We have some extraordinary figures on Kaka’s return, such as shirt sales and social network responses. He spread enthusiasm throughout the Milan universe.”